Sheriff urges FDOT to accelerate widening of State Road 710 after repeated fatal crashes
Loading...
Summary
Sheriff Budensick told the commission that the 33.7-mile State Road 710 corridor has produced about 1,250 crashes since 2015 and 29 county-side fatalities in the past decade; FDOT has funded the multi-phase widening project but construction is not slated to begin for several years, so the sheriff asked the board to press for faster delivery and consider interim mitigations.
Sheriff Budensick presented a data-driven case that State Road 710 (Warfield Boulevard) is the most dangerous corridor in western Martin County. He showed crash photos and a news clip and said the corridor recorded roughly 1,250 reported crashes since 2015, with 29 fatalities on the Martin County side in the past 10 years. He attributed much of the harm to crossover head-on collisions, heavy truck traffic and narrow shoulders that leave drivers with no recovery space.
"If something goes wrong, there's nowhere to go," the sheriff said, and he urged commissioners to continue pressing the Florida Department of Transportation and state legislative contacts to accelerate design, right-of-way acquisition and construction. He said design is underway and FDOT has scheduled shovel-ready phases beginning in 2029-2031 but that the county should pursue interim measures now.
Commissioners and staff discussed short-term mitigations the county could pursue with FDOT or proactively, including increased enforcement, additional signage compatible with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, audible centerline grooving, temporary delineators or jersey barriers, enhanced lighting, and targeted turn-lane improvements. Public Works director Jim Gordon said FDOT has funded design and right-of-way phases; right-of-way acquisition begins in fiscal year 2027 and construction phases are programmed for later years but are fully funded as planned.
The board did not take a formal binding vote on new funding but several commissioners asked staff to prioritize temporary safety measures and to continue advocacy with FDOT and local state representatives.
